Wearing apparel



Nov.,30, 1937. w. H. WATSON 7 2,100,991

WEARING APPAREL Filed Feb. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l VV/V7'O/\ WILLIAM H. WATSON FTTOPNEY Nov. 30, 1937. w. H WATSON WEARING APPAREL Filed Feb. 24, 1937 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I '1 I F WILLIAM H. WA TSON HTTORNE) Patented Nov. 30, 1937 WEARING APPAREL William Hainsworth Watson, Bradford, England,

assignor to Burberrys Limited, London, England Application February 24, 1937, Serial No. 127,490 In Great Britain January 3, 1936 4 Claims.

This invention relates to wearing apparel, more particularly to that of an external nature such as mackintoshes, 'raincoats, smocks and like v garments, especially those intended for sports '5 wear, and it has for its object to enable the wearer to obtain freedom of movement, together with absence of obstruction due to the extra garment, with great facility and rapidity without i totally removing the garment from the body. For example, it is frequently a handicap to shoot in a mackintosh, raincoat, or smock, because the gun does not fit the shoulder comfortably or properly, and during a drive in or, following a shower of rain there is not usually time to discard an outer garment before the birds appear; while in very wet weather it is undesirable to forego altogether the protection afforded by a raincoat or smock.

Somewhat analogous conditions are applicable 2 also when playing golf in which game a players swing can be seriously hampered by the presence of an extra garment.

This invention is therefore designed to overcome the disadvantages indicated above, and to 25 this end a garment such as a mackintosh, raincoat, or smock, is fashioned so as to open from the neck to a point below one of the armpits in such manner as to enable so much of the garment as covers one arm and shoulder of the wearer 30 to be quickly withdrawn therefrom; suitable fastening means being provided to close the garment when in normal wear.

Thus, a garment such as a smock, for sports wear, may open along a line extending at approximately 45 degrees from the front of the neck downwardly to a point below the right hand armpit, and such opening may be provided with a closure of the rip-up or sliding-clasp type in order to enable the garment to be released quickly.

For a left-handed person, the opening will extend from the neck to a point below the left armpit.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings wherein it is shown as applied to a smock which is normally provided in front with a buttoned opening extending from the neck to the waistline of the garment; Figure 1 being a perspective view showingthe garmen totally closed, Figures 2 and 3 being front elevations showing the first two stages, respectively, for freeing the wearers arm and shoulder, and Figure 4 being a perspective view showing the wearers right arm and shoulder completely freed for shooting purposes.

As will be seen in Figure 1, the smock is pro-- vided with a stormproof or fly-front closure A which is shown buttoned up from theneck B to the smock is separable from the skirt Ffand is connectible thereto through the medium of the elements G, G!, of a fastening device of the sliding-clasp type stitched along the edges of the separation and whereof the actuating slider is furnished with the usual tab H. 7

When the wearer desires to obtain freedom of movement under any of the circumstances referred to, the stormproof. or"fly-front closure A is unbuttoned and the tab H is drawn from the point C to the point D upon reaching which latter point the wearer is enabledto pull the part E of the garment obliquely across the body until the right arm and shoulder are disengageable therefrom and the desired freedom and comfort are secured.

J is a brace which is preferably provided in order toprevent the skirt'F of the garment from sagging when the part E is thrown off the wearers shoulder. The upper end of said brace extends around the back of the neck of the wearer and is attached to the garment, whereas, the opposite end of this brace is attached to the upper edge of the skirt.

While the extent of opening provided by the invention is between the neck and a point below one of the armpits of the garment, itwill be, apparent that the precise configuration of the opening will depend upon the type of garmentconcerned; for example, in the case of a garment of poncho design (in which the neck opens usually only enough to enable the garment to be passed over the wearers head) the closure G, GI, may extend in an inclined line directly from, or substantially so, the neck to a point below an armpit.

What I claim is:

1. An outer garment comprising a neck portion. a body portion extending from said neck portion to the waist line of the wearer, a skirt portion attached to the lower edge of said body, portion, a sleeve united to said body portion, said body portion having. an opening at the front the 5 thereof extending vertically therealong from said 7 neck portion to the upper edge of said skirt portion, the lower edge of said body portionbeing detachably connected along a horizontal line to said upper edge of the skirt portion from said opening to a point below the armpit of the wearer of the garment, and a brace having one end attached to the upper edge of the skirt about midway of the free edge thereof and the other end attached at the back of the neck part of the garment, said neck, body portion and sleeve forming a flap, said flap being discardable from the wearer without permitting or causing the garment to drop from the wearer.

2. An external sport garment for protection against the weather and the like comprising a body portion, a neck portion and a skirt portion of at least knee length having an upper edge permanently connected to said body portion, said body portion having an opening at the front thereof extending vertically therealong from said neck portion to said upper edge of said skirt portion, the lower edge of said body portion being detachably connected along a horizontal line to said upper edge of the skirt portion from said opening to a point below the armpit of the wearer of the garment, a flap defined by said opening and detachable connectionbetween the body and skirt portion, a sleeve connected to said flap, whereby said flap and the sleeve connected thereto are readily removable from the body of the wearer.

3. An external sport garment for protection against the weather and the like comprising a body portion, a neck portion and a skirt portion having a continuous upper edge permanently connected to said body portion, said body portion having an opening at the front thereof extending vertically therealong from said neck portion to said upper edge of said skirt portion, the lower edge of said body portion being partially detachably connected along a horizontal line to said upper edge of the skirt portion, said partial detachable connection extending from said opening to a point below the armpit of the wearer of the garment, a flap defined by said opening and detachable connection between the body and skirt portions and a sleeve connected to said flap.

4. An external sport garment for protection against the weather and the like comprising a relatively long skirt, a body portion and a neck portion permanently attached to the upper end of said body portion, said body portion having a vertical opening extending along the front thereof from the neck portion to its lower edge, a portion of the lower edge. of said body portion being permanently attached to the upper edge of the skirt and detachably connected thereto on one side of said vertical opening, said detachable connection extending from said opening to a point below the armpit of the wearenand sleeves connected to said body portion.

WILLIAM HAINSWORTH WATSON. 

